Early reviews found that the late 2008 MacBook Pro had a much louder mouse click than older MBP models. My own tests confirm these findings and I’ve captured the excessive ‘snapping’ sound in the video below. Although it is difficult to capture on camera, I would say that the clicking noise from the new MBP is about 2-3x louder and has an unpleasant, higher tone.

Fortunately, tap clicking, where you lightly tap the trackpad without actually making it click, still works fine, but sometimes this method is less precise, such as when attempting to click without moving the cursor, highlighting text, or click-and-dragging objects.

As for the larger trackpad surface and the absence of a mouse button, it is another refinement in this model that I’m greatly liking. I use the trackpad for everything—I refuse to plug in a mouse—so the larger control surface only stands to improve my accuracy and freedom when controlling the cursor. It just boggles my mind how PC makers have fallen behind on improving the trackpad. I doubt they will continue dragging their feet for long…

Finally, a lot has been said about Apple’s use of glass in their new trackpads. It’s true, it doesn’t actually feel like glass, but this is probably a good thing. A quick test using my iPhone’s touchscreen and it’s obvious that the smooth glass surface actually provides quite a bit more resistance than one might expect. The late 2008 MacBook Pros feature a slight grit on the glass, which makes them feel similar to the early 2008 MBP models. But after a side-by-side comparison, it’s apparent that the new glass trackpads feature much less resistance. The fingers just seem to glide more and there’s hardly a jump or stutter when moving around or changing directions. The new glass trackpad is not just hype!

A couple weeks ago, I walked into a coffee shop during the evening hours on my way home from shopping. There was no one else in line, so I didn’t feel particularly rushed and I took a moment to ask the girl behind the counter what would be a good alternative to my regular cup of organic dark roast coffee.

She called out an exhaustive list of specialties and flavored drinks, but nothing really caught my attention. Then, she mentioned the macha latte, which I was sort of familiar with from my favorite summertime drink, the macha chillo. After serving up a cup, I gave it a sip and was immediately impressed by its sweet, creamy taste with just a slight hint of bitterness.

Macha is green tea powder, and for the latte, it is mixed with hot water and whisked in a bowl until it is completely dissolved. Then, the mixture is slowly added to hot milk and often sweetened with honey, sugar or vanilla syrup.

One thing that I have noticed from ordering this drink, now from several different coffee shops, is the inconsistency in which it’s prepared (at least around here). Some places will serve it unsweetened and bitter, whilst others will sweeten it without asking – sometimes over doing it! Also, like all good lattes, the macha latte should be served frothy with the powder completely mixed in; but already, I’ve had a few of them that were rushed. These ill prepared concoctions looked and tasted like green milk, so I guess it is best to stick to places that have proven to make it right. Unfortunately, getting the drink served right often comes down to the individual server that is preparing it, which makes the whole affair a bit hit-and-miss, I’m afraid…

What’s your favorite coffee alternative?

Not long ago, the only show that I watched regularly on TV was The Sopranos. But when that show came to a close, I found myself without anything to watch besides the occasional movie and, of course, plenty of YouTube. Then around fall of last year a co-worker recommended Prison Break. At the time, Prison Break was airing its third season, so I found myself with two complete seasons to watch at my leisure, and that’s exactly what I did.

At first, the whole idea of a prison breakout scheme seemed highly unimaginative, but as the story unfolded it grew more interesting with plot twists and the introduction of new characters. Eventually, I’d find myself at the end of season two thinking that it was a very decent show – not the best I had ever seen – but certainly entertaining, with consistent cliffhangers and some great acting.

With the third season came a new prison to breakout of, with new bad guys to contend with, and a new inmate for the protagonist to rescue. In other words, it was a shameless rehash of the first season! Along with this tiresome scheme came the extension of the show’s long running story arc involving the proverbial bad guys who are known simply as ‘The Company’.

For me, this is where Prison Break really started to fall apart. You see, we’re supposed to be heavily interested in uncovering the secret machinations of this Illuminati-like group, but unfortunately it’s a lot less exciting than trying to understand, for instance, the bizarre physics of the island in Lost or even the confusing supernatural elements in Battlestar Galactica. This is due to the show’s overly trite and uninspiring portrayal of The Company. As such, I now find myself totally disinterested in learning anything more about these antagonists. Who cares where they come from and why they act so evil?

Now in its forth season, the regular cast of Prison Break is back yet again, but it’s becoming painfully obvious that the characters haven’t grown since we first met them in season one. Compared with high quality shows like The Sopranos or Dexter, the characters in Prison Break are shockingly one-dimensional and only seem capable of displaying a limited range of emotions and personality. This has lead to the severe typecasting of its characters, such that the we now have: the smart guy, the tough guy, the loyal guy, the untrustworthy guy, the nerdy guy, the druggie guy – and the list of clichés goes on.

If that wasn’t enough, the ever extending plotline makes every obstacle thrown at protagonists seem completely artificial, and the motivation for the characters to continue chasing the carrot is becoming laughable. In the latest season, the crew must risk their lives going after the bad guys or else they’ll be thrown back in jail. I’ve played Milton-Bradley board games with better plots!

So, I guess this post is sort of my farewell eulogy to the show. It was a good ride early on, but now it’s like watching someone play the puzzle sections in Max Payne.

Having used the iPod Nano 4G for a few days now, I can definitely say that my foreboding over its sharp corners was quite warranted. When reaching into my jeans pocket to get a hold of the device, I find myself poking my palm and fingers more often than naught, and it’s really beginning to irritate me!

I think, essentially, there are two kinds of music listeners: those that press play and hardly touch their mp3 player while on the move, and those that are constantly adjusting the volume and skipping to different tracks. I definitely fit the latter category, so it is especially annoying having to take extra caution when reaching for the Nano 4G.

Another feature that I am dreading is the tilt sensor. When holding the Nano 4G in my fist down by my side, the unit lies naturally in a landscape position. This automatically puts the Nano 4G into Cover Flow mode, which makes the click wheel flip through albums instead of controlling the volume. I find this very annoying as I often adjust sound levels blindly when the player is clutched in my hand or even when it’s inside my pocket. Now, I have to hold the Nano upwards and take a glance at the screen to make sure it’s out of Cover Flow before making an adjustment. That’s two steps too many, if you ask me.

Some of you might suggest that the iPod Shuffle is a better unit for my needs, but I cannot live without a display. Part of what makes the Nano so great is the embedded OS X, which provides an excellent user interface for making quick selections amidst gigs of music. Also, I enjoy giving ratings to my music; the included 5-star system a great way to keep tabs on my current favorites.

I realize now that the old Nano 3G is superior to the 4G in almost every respect, but as I’m stuck with the 4G until the next upgrade cycle, I’m hoping to find some workarounds to my problems. For instance, a case would probably cover the sharp edges of the Nano 4G and would also add a bit of bulk to the device for better gripping (was this Apple’s plan all along?). Also, a firmware update to deactivate the automatic Cover Flow mode sounds like a possibility if enough people complain. I hope that I’m not the only one with this concern — add a comment if you’re with me! 

Today, I picked up an iPod Nano 4G 8GB silver and thought I’d capture the moment on video and also do a brief comparison with the Nano 3G.

My first impression of the Nano 4G is that it feels lighter than the 3G, and that its click wheel has more grain on it, which might allow for more accurate control.

On the down side, the Nano 3G ‘fatty’ definitely feels more comfortable in my hands for a variety of reasons. For starters, the Nano 4G has really sharp corners that dig into the palm if it isn’t held exactly right. It’s enough to worry me about placing the device in my front pocket while climbing stairs, bending over or doing any type of exercise. The sharp corners are also noticeable when grasping the unit to use the click wheel, which brings up another issue — the 4G’s slender build makes it necessary to pop the Nano upwards in the hand to use its controls. In comparison, the Nano 3G’s wider girth allows easier access to the click wheel and takes less grip adjustment to get the thumb into position. Some people – perhaps most people — won’t find this an issue, but I prefer to cup my handheld devices rather than to hold them high like waving a winning raffle ticket or something.

Back to the positives, I prefer the Nano 4G’s portrait-oriented display. A longer screen allows for more text to appear in list view, such as when scrolling through song lists. Unfortunately, Apple decided to increase the font size on the 4G, which results in 6 tracks being listed at once. This is still greater than the 3G’s 5 tracks, but I was hoping for at least two more lines of text to appear on the screen at a time. Hopefully, Apple will include a smaller font setting in a future firmware update.

Another feature of interest, and one I knew nothing about prior to owning the Nano 4G, is the built-in voice recorder. I just happened to be using my iPhone 3G’s earphones + mic cable when I was testing the Nano 4G and was pleasantly surprised to find that I could record my voice, and some ambient sounds, (perhaps both sides of a conversation?) with a simple hit of a button.

As for the accelerometers in the 4G, I feel that this is a bit of a gimmick. Sure, you can play games that make use of awkward tilt controls, but the rounded glass will produce some nasty glare when viewing it at odd angles. Also, I have never been a fan of Cover Flow – especially on an iPod – so holding the 4G in landscape to activate album cover viewing is just a battery waster for me. Finally, the shake to shuffle feature works, but you’ll look like an idiot using it in public!

In summary, I like the old Nano 3G version better than the 4G, and I kind of wished I had purchased an 8GB version of the fatty instead. As much as I like new toys, the Nano 4G offers very little over the 3G. In addition, it sports some dangerous looking corners and I also suspect the unit is not as physically robust as the 3G (its top and bottom are now made of plastic). Despite these concerns, I’m sure I’ll grow accustomed to the new Nano in time, but if you’re thinking of upgrading to the 4G, I would only do so for the fresh battery life and/or increased storage capacity (my two reasons).

Young Jeezy is one of those rappers that’s so bad at what he does, he’s sometimes kind of good! Similar to other hiphop artists who also fit this paradox, like Lil’ Wayne, The Game and 50 Cent, Young Jeezy pumps out slick sounding beats with catchy (and often stolen) hooks, which he then raps over with the level of lyrical sophistication you’d expect from a stoned out 5-year old.

My president’s black, my lambo’s blue, and I’ll be god damned if my rims ain’t too.

Despite sounding juvenile, silly, and often superficial to the extreme, sometimes this style of music works. Perhaps it’s similar to how an accidental channel flick can swindle you into watching a half-hour of Billy Mays acerbically hawk Kaboom and Oxiclean products. The delivery of the message is entertaining, but the message itself is nothing more than a blitz of lyrical baby food for the pre-cognitive mind. Young Jeezy raps entire albums about his cars, clothes and money. His message is effortlessly consumed because it’s vacuous in nature, and yet, it is this ease of consumption that makes his music appetizing to his audience.

As my high school music teacher would carefully say, “sometimes hiphop can be clever.” This was his way of lightly praising the genre so as not to disturb the volatile emotions of his teenaged students (me included). Of course, him, like most non-fans of rap music, have long associated the art form with the less erudite. But really, one can only go so far when criticizing musical taste. So the question, I think, is whether or not rap music should be taken seriously. For instance, Harry Potter is a billion dollar franchise, but no one disputes that it’s purely children’s fiction. Does rap music serve a similar role, but for a slightly different crowd?

Also, what about these hiphop artists who are clearly deficient in their verbal fluency: are they self-deluded by their fame and wealth and actually believe that they’re a modern day Shakespeare or Beethoven? Or are they fully aware of their dumbed down, boiled to a pulp lyrics and realize that their success is wholly dependent on their image, studio mastered beats and chintzy music videos?

Growing up, I remember constantly being bombarded by Drink Milk ads and fridge door nutritional guides that placed dairy products among the essential food groups needed for optimum health. Years later, I would realize that most of what I had heard about drinking cow’s milk was plain wrong and usually just the propaganda of the dairy industry.

Taking into consideration that 70% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant — including about 90% of Okinawans ( who live as long as sea turtles) — the question must be asked, since when did humans need to drink cow’s milk to remain healthy?

Increased calcium consumption is a leading selling point for marketing dairy products, yet the typical western diet gets less than 50% of its calcium from this source. Calcium is found in many vegetables like broccoli, parsley and cabbage, in nuts like almonds, and in a variety of seafood choices, but if you’re like me, and grew up around western culture, you’d hardly know that calcium was available outside of dairy products and food supplements.

Humans only started drinking milk relatively recently in terms of human history, which is why most populations are still lactose intolerant and why dairy allergies are one of the most common food allergies around. In addition, humans are the only mammals that consume milk after weaning, and are the only species that regularly drinks the milk of another. The evidence seems to indicate that dairy products are not as important to our health as marketers would like us to believe.

With an aging population, osteoporosis – a disease that decreases bone mass leading to painful fractures and immobility – has been used by the dairy industry to push calcium consumption via their products. It is interesting then, that the disease is common among American women, one of the largest consumers of milk products. Indeed, there is no evidence to suggest that consuming cow’s milk protects someone from this bone robbing disease. Even diets that are extremely high in calcium do not seem to ward off osteoporosis.

The traditional Inuit (Eskimo) diet is very high in calcium and yet this population experiences high rates of osteoporosis. This phenomenon has been linked to the Inuit’s high intake of animal protein. When animal meat is consumed, calcium is transferred from the bones to the digestive system to help counter the acid generated by this food group. Therefore, to maintain a healthy bone mass, one should consume calcium in reasonable amounts whilst limiting meat in their diet. In addition, regular exercise, magnesium, and vitamin D (sunlight) are also needed to maintain a healthy bone mass; drinking milk alone is not enough.

Now before I end this blurb sounding like a total dairy hater, I just want to disclose that although I’m not a huge milk drinker, I do eat yogurt almost every morning and I love my French bread with cheese – gouda, edam, or smoked cheddar preferably – so I’m hardly dismissing the appetizing pleasures of this food group. Also, I love eating meat! So I hope you don’t interpret this post as some sanctimonious rant on behalf of vegans and the 70% that get the squirts after taking too much cream with their coffee.

What are your thoughts on drinking milk? Do you buy into its promoted health benefits, or do you drink it simpy for enjoyment?